Nightly Gondola Ride
by GrandmamasCannolis
Summary: Nick and Judy visit a very familiar spot during their wedding anniversary. A short, fluffy story.


It was a peaceful evening during the late July. At the hottest of districts of Zootopia, that was when they were at their warmest. Not only during the day, but the night as well, which made most of the mammals go out more often to enjoy the nightlife.

Restaurants, casinos, theaters and other big spots were all popular with them, young or old. Nick and Judy Wilde were no exception to the rule either, for they were currently having a night out on the town too. It was the perfect occasion for that as well: the fox and the rabbit were not only on their summer break from their cop duties, but it happened to be their first wedding anniversary as well.

Only a year had passed since Nick and Judy had made their choice to become husband and wife. They had been dating for almost three years after being partners in the police force of the ZPD for so long, and it sure had been worth it. Even though at first they didn´t know how their prospective relationship would play out when it started, Nick and Judy soon realized that it was what both of them wanted deep down in their hearts.

The intrepid young rabbit policewoman couldn´t be any happier. Even though she was very devoted to her career, Judy knew how much Nick mattered to him and how no other mammal could have the same impact on her life as he would. It was the same way with the fox.

Nick and Judy were currently strolling on the streets of Rainforest District, returning from a romantic dinner they had shared on one of the district´s best restaurants. Not only was the food good, but this time Nick actually didn´t forget to bring his wallet, unlike during one of their earliest dates. The fox still remembered that awkward mishap, and often laughed about it with Judy.

"Thank you so much for the dinner, Nick!" she smiled at her husband as they walked through the street. Judy wore her most beautiful summer dress by Vera Fang, which was pink like her farm outfit and came with her sun hat too. On her neck was a lovely little carrot-shaped amethyst pendant the fox had given her as a wedding anniversary gift, and the rabbit´s wedding ring was still on her paw. Nick had a more elegant black version of his regular outfit on with a red tie, the latter of which Judy herself had given him as a gift that day.

"You don´t need a restaurant guide to find the best spots in town, when an old hustler like me knows them by heart. Especially the ones that have the best blueberry pies….although they pale in comparison to the ones you bake", Nick smiled in a cocky yet loving manner.

Judy laughed and moved closer to him. The wedding anniversary had really been a pleasant experience so far. Not only had Nick given the gift and shared dinner with her, but he had also danced on the floor with her at the restaurant. Being a sentimental fox underneath his hustler façade, it wasn´t hard for him to get romantic with the rabbit he loved. The fact that Judy did find Nick handsome already certainly helped matters too.

She looked at the sky, and noticed how it had already gotten dark out there. This time it wasn´t raining at Rainforest District however, which was rare. The sky was cloudless and full of stars.

"Oh, it´s almost midnight. Guess we´ll take a stroll home together", she clasped his paw.

However, Nick had something else in his mind. Looking upwards, he noticed the gondolas moving there, which gave him an idea.

"Or…I could offer a ride for you, my Carrots. Just the two of us, seeing the sights of the city together at night. You did want this wedding anniversary to be as romantic as possible after all", he smiled.

"That´s a good point, slick", Judy chuckled.

The two went to the upper level of the district, where one lift was available for the two. Carefully, Nick went there first and opened the door to it.

"After you, Carrots", he said, leading his wife there.

In a few seconds, the two stood at the gondola lift together as it begun to travel its way through the city. The journey began from the dark rainforest, where the lights from the gondola were the only lights shining through the darkness. With no loud sounds in the distance, the atmosphere during that moment was really quiet and pleasant.

As they looked at the night, Nick had a strong feeling of déjà vu there. And for a good reason: it was the exact same spot where he had told his life story to Judy years ago. How much time had changed since then indeed.

Looking at Judy´s purple eyes, he could still remember it all. The moment that planted the seeds of something beautiful that had started to grow since the day they reunited during the Nighthowler Crisis and saved the city from falling apart. The fox and the rabbit had been inseparable since then.

He clasped the rabbit´s paw as the gondola started to move away from the district. Nick could feel how warm and soft the fur in them felt. Judy looked at him with a gentle, feminine smile on her face.

She looked so beautiful to him at that moment. From her soft gray fur to the purple eyes, Judy was the most attractive female mammal Nick had ever seen. Judy´s dress looked great to him too there, for he thought pink looked better on Judy than blue.

"I still can´t believe we went through so much together", Nick said. He noticed how the shine on her eyes looked brighter to him than the lights on the gondola. It had been the light that had lit the darkness in his heart.

As the gondola moved to the next districts, Nick and Judy could see more of the city lights along the ride. From the neon lights of all colors to the lanterns, they all looked glorious. More so than the fireworks in Gazelle´s concert. Cars drove on the streets peacefully, and other mammals walked there too, with a few other couples among them too. The gondola moved slowly yet steadily so that Nick and Judy could see all the sights by themselves.

"Almost 40 years in the city and it feels so different now that I´m sharing it with you instead of all by myself. It´s as if you led me into a whole new world", the fox said as they passed a skunk street artist and a mouse jazz band performing at a street café.

"That´s what you did to me too, Nick. Without you, I don´t know where I would be today…although I wouldn´t nearly lead as happy of a life as I do now, that´s for sure", Judy nodded, admiring the nearby river. With her ears down and a longing look on her face, she was feeling sentimental too.

The more she thought about it, the better the night started to feel to her. She used to think that Nick becoming her partner back then was the highlight of her life in the city, but that was before the flame was lit between the two. Now, both of them were still living the true highlight of each other´s lives.

Time passed, as Nick and Judy traveled on the gondola through the major districts, all of which looked magnificent during night. They both could remember all the adventures they had in the districts during their career as partners. From Nick finding a weapon smuggling ring operating in Tundratown´s best spa to Judy going to the Palm Tree hotel at Sahara Square disguised as a veiled dancing girl and arresting a mob boss there. All the locations of Zootopia were full of fond memories for the adventurous duo that they wouldn´t forget, even without talking about them.

"Such a beautiful city this is. At least on the outside….don´t know about the interior part though", Nick thought.

Understanding what he meant, Judy placed her paw on his shoulder and looked at him in a very sweet manner.

"It may have its problems…but it´s still the city where we found each other and the city we call home. Any metropolis where we get to live together like this is worth living, dangerous or not", she said.

"Guess you´re right. It´s thanks to you that I see its better side more now", Nick looked deep into her eyes again.

As the gondola moved closer to the city center, they passed through Zootopia´s largest outdoor park, which looked like a gigantic garden with flowers and trees all over the area. Very near its edge was a small batch of primroses along the way, which happened to be Judy´s favorite flowers. During the ride, Nick managed to snatch one of them and handed it to his wife. The doe was delighted at that gesture, giving him a coy smile.

But the most magnificent sight was yet to come. In a few minutes, the gondola was at the highest place in the whole city, way above most city lights and big apartments. From there, they could see the full moon itself, decorated by an ocean of stars. It looked glorious.

There, Nick realized the moment he had waited the most during the ride had come. He held Judy from the paw with his and placed the other on the small of her back, almost like ready for a dance with her. Smirking, Judy almost dropped her hat as Nick dipped and kissed her in a dramatic fashion.

"On the side of the law for years and still stealing hearts blatantly. Old habits die hard", she said.

"Yours is the only one I´d do that to", Nick kept pressing his lips against hers.

"Not that I´m asking you to return it", Judy giggled.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, the gondola arrived to its destination. From there it wasn´t that long of a walk to their home. Together, Nick and Judy walked the rest of their trip hand in hand, until the latter started to feel a little tired.

Even though Judy was a very active and energetic rabbit, at this time of the day she often started to feel drowsy. That was easily remedied with Nick though, who gladly volunteered to carry her for the remaining meters of the trip.

They soon entered the apartment that they had bought since they had gotten married. It was like a mix of the simple old-fashioned family home where Nick lived during his childhood and Judy´s countryside family home. Not the fanciest home in the city, but still a very cozy one that had everything they needed in there.

"That was a wonderful night out there, Nick. Words cannot describe how much I want to thank you for this evening", Judy was relieved as Nick laid the tired bunny down on the sofa, placing her hat on one of the nearby tables.

"You´re welcome, honey. But I have a feeling it´s not over yet…unless you feel too tired", the fox smiled.

Almost instantly as he said that, Judy´s face brightened up. She knew what he meant.

"Well, I´m not _that_ tired", she winked at the fox.

Nick´s heart was pounding eagerly as Judy went to one of the bathrooms to take a cooling shower, as he did the same to the other bathroom. There was only one thing missing from that day, which was about to happen. He had waited for it even more than the kiss during the gondola ride.

After the shower, Nick cleaned himself up with a towel. He didn´t dress up completely, just put his boxer shorts on and went upstairs to their bedroom. There, he closed the curtains, opened the cover of their bed and warmed up the fireplace as the only source of light in the room. He was ready to spend the rest of the evening in the way he liked best with his rabbit wife

The fox reclined calmly on a rug next to the fireplace as Judy entered the room. She wore nothing but her red strapless satin bra and panty, showing a lot of her curvaceous body to the fox. Judy didn´t need any other nightwear, for there were other ways for her to keep warm in the night.

Sultrily and slowly, she walked towards her husband until she came into his arms, nestling her chest against his and draping her paws around him. Judy´s heartbeat started to get even louder than Nick´s during this moment.

"You´re the loveliest wife a mammal can have, in every single way", Nick held the policewoman while nuzzling her cheek.

"Thanks. You´re a wonderful husband too. I´ll stay by your side and look after you always", Judy sighed.

"No wonder you´re already good at that. I haven´t gotten into trouble that much ever since you started taking care of me", the fox smiled.

"That´s the kind of wife a charming scoundrel like you needs, honestly. Although you were always more than a fox of that kind anyway", she thought. Not many mammals got to see the charming sly fox´s true warm and affectionate nature that the society who stereotyped him thought didn´t exist. But it did, and nowhere was it as strong as it was with Judy.

Nick held Judy tight in his arms, and draped his tail around her too. He could feel all the softness on her furry body as they embraced very close to the warmth of the fireplace. The two were now amidst all the warmth and bliss their humble home could offer. Even though the gondola ride had already put both of them in a very loving mood, this only made it even stronger.

Slowly, Judy moved her lips close to Nick´s snout, closing her eyes at the same time. She wanted to let the bliss of that moment sink in. The rabbit could now agree that this was indeed the highlight of their wedding anniversary.

She took her time until the lips met again. For a long time, Nick and Judy kissed romantically at that spot, feeling each other´s warm fur. The rabbit even let her husband stroke her ears gently with his clawed yet soft vulpine paws.

"If this is what married life with you is like, I´m in for a good and healthy future", Judy whispered.

"You are. I´ll guarantee that is what you´ll get. This fox can be trusted on keeping his word, that´s for sure", Nick stroked her tail too.

"Oh Nick, you´re such a darling", the doe kept her eyes closed as she rested in Nick´s arms.

For a while, the fox and his wife just cuddled at that spot until they rose up and finally went to bed, with a wonderful day behind them.

Despite having a life full of dangers every once in a while, it was days like this that made all the things before them worth it. The gondola ride had reminded Nick of how far they had come, and there was no need to go back or change the direction.

The love between the fox and the rabbit had proven worth cherishing.


End file.
